SAN FRANCISCO<\/span>, Oct. 11, 2017<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ —\u00a0Decorative contact lenses can add just the right amount of creepy to your Halloween<\/span> costume. But wearing costume contact lenses without a prescription can set you up for serious eye\u00a0infections<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0permanent vision loss. That’s why\u00a0the\u00a0American Academy of Ophthalmology<\/a>\u00a0wants to remind people to only buy decorative contact lenses from retailers who require a prescription and sell FDA-approved products.<\/p>\n Photo – https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/581861\/American_Academy_of_Ophthalmology_Halloween_Contact_Lens.jpg<\/a> <\/p>\n Every year, ophthalmologists treat patients who suffer painful, blinding complications from wearing contact lenses that have not been properly fitted by an eye care professional. People like:<\/p>\n While it is illegal to sell non-prescription contact lenses, they can still be purchased at\u00a0beauty supply stores, costume shops or\u00a0on the web. Falsely advertised as “one-size-fits-all” or “no prescription necessary,” these lenses can cause serious eye damage.<\/p>\n Even if you have perfect vision, you still need to obtain a valid prescription and eye exam from an ophthalmologist \u2013 a medical doctor who treats eye conditions and diseases \u2013 or optometrist. Contact lenses are a medical device <\/p>\n There are four ways over-the-counter decorative contact lenses can seriously harm your eyes:<\/p>\n Contact lenses, including nonprescription lenses, are not costume jewelry. They are FDA-regulated medical devices that must be prescribed and fitted by an eye care professional. And they must be cared<\/a> for with the same hygiene rules as regular contact lenses.<\/p>\n “Don’t lose your vision to cheap contact lenses,” warns Thomas L. Steinemann<\/span>, M.D., a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “If you must have contact lenses to complete your Halloween<\/span> costume, avoid over-the-counter ones at all costs. Protect your vision by getting prescription lenses from an eye health professional.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The Academy encourages the public to watch and share its\u00a0“No Prescription, No Way” public service announcement<\/a>\u00a0that shows the serious damage that these non-prescription costume contact lenses can inflict on the eyes.<\/p>\n Visit the\u00a0Academy’s EyeSmart\u00ae website<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about contact lens safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n About the American Academy of Ophthalmology<\/b> Logo – https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/581864\/American_Academy_of_Ophthalmology_Logo.jpg<\/a> <\/p>\n SOURCE American Academy of Ophthalmology<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SAN FRANCISCO<\/span>, Oct. 11, 2017<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ —\u00a0Decorative contact lenses can add just the right amount of creepy to your Halloween<\/span> costume. But wearing costume contact lenses without a prescription can set you up for serious eye\u00a0infections<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0permanent vision loss. That’s why\u00a0the\u00a0<a target="_blank" href="https:\/\/www.aao.org\/"…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salud"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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<\/b>If not fitted and sized for the person wearing them, contacts\u00a0can easily scrape the cornea, the outer layer of the eye. Corneal abrasions\u00a0<\/a>can cause redness, light sensitivity, discharge, pain\u00a0or a sensation that\u00a0something is lodged in the eye.\n<\/li>\n
<\/b>Costume contact lenses can create an eye sore called a\u00a0corneal ulcer<\/a>. Ulcers often appear as a white dot on the iris, the colored part of the eye, and require treatment. After an ulcer heals, many patients are left with a significant scar on their cornea that decreases their vision.\n<\/li>\n
<\/b>Both corneal abrasions and ulcers create openings in the eye, making them more vulnerable to bacteria and\u00a0viruses. All of these\u00a0organisms can cause serious eye infections known as\u00a0keratitis<\/a>.\n<\/li>\n
<\/b>Sometimes scarring from an\u00a0infection is so bad, a corneal transplant is required to restore vision. The most extreme cases can end in blindness.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for our patients and the public. We innovate to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart\u00ae<\/sup> program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit aao.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n![\"AAO](\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/581864\/American_Academy_of_Ophthalmology_Logo.jpg\" "\\"AAO"){kind=logo}
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